"It is a place far to the north where both Terrans and Ssassarors send
their incorrigibles. It is an extinct volcano whose steep-sided
interior makes an inescapable prison. There those who have persisted
in unnatural behavior are given special treatment."
"They are bled?" she asked, her eyes widening as her tongue flicked
over her lips again hungrily.
"No. A special breed of Skin is given them to wear. These Skins shock
them more powerfully than the ordinary ones, and the shocks are
associated with the habit they are trying to cure. The shocks effect
a cure. Also, these special Skins are used to detect hidden unnatural
emotions. They re-condition the deviate. The result is that when the
Chaliced Man is judged able to go out and take his place in society
again, he is thoroughly re-conditioned. Then his regular Skin is given
back to him and it has no trouble keeping him in line from then on.
The Chaliced Man is a very good citizen."
"And what if a revolter doesn't become Chaliced?"
"Then he stays in Chalice until he decides to become so."
Her voice rose sharply as she said, "But if I go there, and I am not
fed the diet of the Amphibs, I will grow old and die!"
"No. The government will feed you the diet you need until you are
re-conditioned. Except...." He paused.
"Except I won't get blood," she wailed. Then, realizing she was acting
undignified before a Landman, she firmed her voice.
"The King of the Amphibians will not allow them to do this to me," she
said. "When he hears of it he will demand my return. And if the King
of Men refuses, my King will use violence to get me back."
Rastignac smiled and said, "I hope he does. Then perhaps my people
will wake up and get rid of their Skins and make war upon your
people."
"So that is what you Philosophers of Violence want, is it? Well, you
will not get it. My father, the Amphib King, will not be so stupid as
to declare a war."
"I suppose not," replied Rastignac. "He will send a band to rescue
you. If they're caught they'll claim to be criminals and say they are
_not_ under the King's orders."
Lusine looked upwards to see if a guard was hanging over the well's mouth
listening. Perceiving no one, she nodded and said, "You have guessed it
correctly. And that is why we laugh so much at you stupid Humans. You know
as well as we do what's going on, but you are afraid to tell us so. You
keep clinging to the idea that your turn-the-other-cheek policy will
soften us and insure peace."
"Not I," said Rastignac. "I know perfectly well there is only one
solution to man's problems. That is--"
"That is Violence," she finished for him. "That is what you have been
preaching. And that is why you are in this cell, waiting for trial."
"You don't understand," he said. "Men are not put into the Chalice for
_proposing_ new philosophies. As long as they behave naturally they
may say what they wish. They may even petition the King that the new
philosophy be made a law. The King passes it on to the Chamber of
Deputies. They consider it and put it up to the people. If the people
like it, it becomes a law. The only trouble with that procedure is
that it may take ten years before the law is considered by the Chamber
of Deputies."
"And in those ten years," she mocked him, "the Amphibs and the
Amphibian-changelings will have won the planet."
"That is true," he said.
"The King of the Humans is a Ssassaror and the King of the Ssassaror
is a Man," said Lusine. "Our King can't see any reason for changing
the status quo. After all, it is the Ssassaror who are responsible for
the Skins and for Man's position in the sentient society of this
planet. Why should he be favorable to a policy of Violence? The
Ssassarors loathe violence."
"And so you have preached Violence without waiting for it to become a
law? And for that you are now in this cell?"
"Not exactly. The Ssassarors have long known that to suppress too much
of Man's naturally belligerent nature only results in an explosion. So
they have legalized illegality--up to a point. Thus the King
officially made me the Chief of the Underground and gave me a state
license to preach--but not practice--Violence. I am even allowed to
advocate overthrow of the present system of government--as long as I
take no action that is too productive of results.
"I am in jail now because the Minister of Ill-Will put me here. He had
my Skin examined, and it was found to be 'unhealthy.' He thought I'd
be better off locked up until I became 'healthy' again. But the
King...."